Mat



March 17, 1931. L. T. HAND ET AL MAT Filed Feb. 6, 1930 Patented Mar. 17, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LESLIE T. HAND AND JOHN WIGHT, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YQBX; SAID WIGHT ASSIGNOB T0 SAID BAND HAT Application led February 6, 1930. Serial No. 420,270.

This invention relates to aper mats and its object is to employ in t eir production compressible paper, such for example as heavy crepe paper, whose crinkled character affords a suitable supporting surface adapting it for use in the form of bath room mats and in various other spheres of utility.

It is realized that in the case of mats cut from crepe paper, or other compressible paper, if without other treatment, the mat edges would be apt to curl up, thereby impairing its usefulness, and if any process of inding or loading the edges were resorted to the expense thereby involved would seriously affect the economy with which these articles should be produced. Therefore, it is our purpose to manufacture efficient mats of crepe aper, or other compressible paper, which wi l lie flatly upon an even surface, so inexpensively, that they can be discarded after a single use.

In carrying out our invention we produce a sheet of crepe paper, or other compressible paper, in the shape of a mat. This shape may be oblong or of other designed contour.

The crimps in a crepe paper structure which give it its crinkled character will accord a mat of this material a degree of stiffness in the direction of their length, but the mat ends that are parallel with the crimps will have a greater tendency to curl upwardly. Moreover it would be very diiiicult to cause a simple sheet of this material to lie fiat upon the surface.

Therefore, either in the process of cutting out a mat from a sheet ofheavy crepe, or other compressible paper, or subsequently thereto, we cause great pressure to be applied along its edges, at the top side thereof, thereby compacting those edges and causin them, as marginal edges, to 11e in a plane elow the top surface of the mat. This compaction stliens the edges, whose under surfaces are flush with the under surface of the mat, and enables it to lie flatly upon an even surface.

Other features and advantages of our invention will hereinafter appear;

In the drawing Figure 1 is a plan view of a crepe paper mat embodying our invention, and

Fig. 2 is a section, broken away, taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The mat illustrated by way of example in the figures has the body portion A composed of crepe paper, and the marginal portion B of the same material but reduced in thickness by compression, so that the upper surface of said marginal portion lies in a plane below that occupied by the upper surface of body portion A.

In producing our improved mat, the under surface of margin B rests upon a support in the same plane as the under surface of the body portion, and the pressure member which 1s used to compress margin B is applied against the upper surface of the marginal portion to compact the material thereof, thereby stiifening it for the purpose set forth.

While the stifened marginal portion of the mat, in the example illustrated,appears plain, without ornamentation, obviously any desired ornamentation may be included in said compressed or compacted marginal portion, provided such ornamentation does not detract from the stiffened character thereof.

While We have described and illustrated crepe paper as an example of com ressible paper employed n the production o our improved mats, we do not limit our invention to the use of crepe paper, but may use indented paper or other kinds of paper that are capable of being compressed under the action of a die.

By compressible paper is meant paper whose body thickness is less than the space between the parallel planes of its opposite surfaces.

This ap lication is a continuation, in art, of our ear ier application, Serial No. 33 ,320 filed February 4, 1929.

Variations within the spirit and scope of our invention are equally comprehended by the foregoing disclosure.

We claim:

1. A paper mat having a body portion with an uneven surface and a substantially fiat marginal portion whose under surface lies in the plane of the under surface of the body portion.

2. A mat composed of cre a er and having a marginal portion whosopmlxder surfac is substantiall Hat and lies in the plane of the under sur noe of the body Qportion.

New York, N. Y., January 1, 1930. I

-LESLDB T. JOHN WIGHT. 

